Robotic Timeout Control Using Distance-Based Motion Continuation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Robotic systems face performance hindrances and safety concerns due to timing delays, which often result in frequent timeouts and jittery motion, requiring human intervention and disrupting task efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a distance-based robotic timeout system where the low-level controller maintains prior motion commands until a threshold distance is traveled, allowing the robot to recover from timeouts without human assistance and ensuring safety by integrating emergency stop conditions and displacement calculations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the high-level controller issues motion commands under soft real time constraints, then the robot can handle complex routing tasks with flexibility, but timing delays occur causing timeouts and jittery motion
Solution Approach 1:
The low-level controller maintains the prior motion command as a backup ready-to-execute instruction. When a timeout is detected, this pre-maintained command allows immediate continuation of motion without waiting for high-level controller recovery, thus preventing jittery motion while preserving routing flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The low-level controller acts as an intermediary between the high-level controller and the actuators. It buffers the motion commands and can independently execute maintained commands during high-level controller timeouts, mediating the timing mismatch between soft real-time routing decisions and strict real-time motion execution.
2Productivity
If the robot stops immediately upon timeout detection, then safety is maintained, but task efficiency decreases due to frequent human intervention
Solution Approach 1:
The timeout response is made dynamic rather than static. Instead of always stopping immediately, the system adapts its response based on whether a prior motion command is available for maintenance. This dynamic approach allows continuous operation when safe (improving productivity) while maintaining the capability to stop when necessary (preserving safety).
Solution Approach 2:
The low-level controller autonomously handles timeout situations by maintaining and executing prior motion commands without requiring human intervention. The system serves itself by detecting timeouts and automatically recovering through command maintenance, thereby improving task efficiency while safety monitoring continues independently.
3Reliability
If the low-level controller maintains prior motion commands during timeout, then motion continuity is preserved, but displacement from planned route occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by measuring the actual displacement caused by maintaining prior commands and using this information to calculate corrected motion commands. When the high-level controller recovers, it receives feedback about the robot's actual position and adjusts subsequent routing commands to account for the timeout-induced displacement, thereby restoring route accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution adds a temporal dimension to command execution. Instead of strictly following the original time-synchronized routing plan, the system allows temporal decoupling where motion commands are maintained beyond their original timeout window. The routing correction then operates in a separate computational dimension, calculating adjusted commands based on actual displacement rather than original timing.
4Productivity
If the robot continues operation after timeout, then productivity is maintained, but emergency stop conditions may be missed
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is segmented into distinct functional layers: the low-level controller handles strict real-time motion execution and emergency stop detection, while the high-level controller handles soft real-time routing decisions. This segmentation allows continuous operation through command maintenance while preserving independent emergency detection capabilities at the low level, as the low-level controller continuously monitors emergency conditions regardless of timeout state.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for distance-based robotic timeouts are disclosed herein. According to at least one non-limiting exemplary embodiment, a robot experiencing a high-level controller timeout may continue to execute its previously given motion command for a threshold timeout distance without hindering safety, while avoiding unnecessary stops or jitters.